On October 28th and 29th, we got an opportunity to take part in a great and exciting youth event – LevelUp! Accelerating Change, organised by the European Youth Forum, the European Parliament, and the European Commission. Thanks to the European Disability Forum (EDF), we were able to enjoy a fully accessible environment for people with various disabilities. We made up a very friendly group of disabled participants and their assistants from several countries, mostly from central and south-eastern Europe.
Blog post written by Michal Homola – Collection Analyst, Amazon Slovakia.
Key takeaways
I would like to share here several key takeaways I was able to keep in mind after the eventful two days and which, I hope, can help me to become more active and engaged in the never-ending struggle for the integration and inclusion of disabled people in the future. The workshops we took part in, provided us with an inspiring set of both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, which could be easily applied in our daily life. And especially within our potential future activities. Most of the workshops provided us also with an opportunity to interactively try out what we have just learned, and to get feedback from the experienced workshop leaders. Here are several examples of workshops I would like to highlight:
Storytelling and narratives
This workshop gave us a chance to hear, from experts in this field, what are the most essential components of a good and potentially successful story. We understood how important it is to have a well-structured plot, with a clear message or idea at the end. In the second half of the workshop, we were split into several small groups. Our task was to make up an interesting story about a predefined global topic, for example, democracy, environment, human rights, and so on. Each group got constructive feedback after finishing their story, which helped us to better reflect on the dynamics of good storytelling.
I would also like to highlight the moment when the workshop leaders were showing us a video and subsequently described the visual content so that also I (as a blind participant) had the best possible experience from the video. This was a nice demonstration of the inclusion of disabled participants in this global youth event.
Negotiation with policymakers
Another interesting workshop I would like to mention was the one on Negotiation with policymakers. Based on her own experience with gaining support for the anti-sexual harassment legislation in Slovenia, the workshop leader demonstrated how important a transparent and objective communication with policymakers is, and how can real testimonies and experience change the perspective of the stakeholders. This is important to bear in mind, also when defending the rights and needs of the disabled people in contact with the local policymakers on the regional and national level.
All the above mentioned practical skills can help us, the disabled people, to better communicate and advocate for ourselves with various stakeholders and policymakers. For me, this is a strong impulse to become more active in this field, whether at the local or international level. I was able to realise what potential we have, despite our disabilities or special needs. I got motivated to advocate more than I did before.
Hopes for the future
The days spent in Brussels were full of inspiring moments. Not only because of the workshops, but also thanks to all the various social and networking activities we took part in. It was truly exciting to exchange experience with other young disabled people or their assistants and volunteers from different countries. I strongly hope we will stay in touch in the future and we will be able to cooperate and organise more inspiring meetings, events, trainings and other activities together. Thanks to all who made it possible for us to be there!
About Michal
Michal Homola was born in 1992 in Trnava, Slovakia. He studies translating and interpreting in the language combination German, Dutch (2012-2017), and graduated with a PhD degree in public service interpreting (2021). In 2019, he attended the European Conference Interpreting Course and received a certificate for the language combination German, English.
Nowadays, Michal is working in Amazon Slovakia, in Bratislava, as collection analyst for the German market. Michal is also actively participating on the project Butterfly, contributing to make Amazon workplaces more accessible for employees with disabilities. In the future, he would like to more actively take part on the supporting activities within the blind people community in Slovakia.
Do you have a question for Michal?
You can contact him:
- by email at michal.homola55@gmail.com
- by phone (upon request)
About the Ascend project
The Ascend project is funded by Citi Foundation and coordinated by the European Disability Forum. This one-year programme is focussed on strengthening the capacity of the disability movement in Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia.
